In the Distant Castle
by Tsubasagirl
Summary: Growing up the Distant Castle, she learned manners, politics, and how to irritate her mother. However, she was separated from outside the castle's walls. She had no friends, except for her servants. But now, on that day, that's when everything... changed.
1. The Castle's Secrets

Jen: Yay! Another story!

Ikuto: What about Recruiting an Angel?

Jen: Hey! I'm in writer's block! So my only option is to make another story until more inspiration comes!

Ikuto: (scoffs)

Amu: C'mon Ikuto! It's a legit reason!

Ikuto: No, it's not.

Jen: Aw, you're just sad because I didn't get to the 'good' parts in the other story. Right?

Amu: Anyways, Jen doesn't own Shugo Chara or any of its characters!

* * *

In the Distant Castle

'_Growing up in the Distant Castle, she learned manners, politics, and even how to_

_irritate her mother. However, she was separated from outside the castle's walls. She had_

_no outside friends, except for the servants. But now, on that day, that's_

_when everything… changed.'_

Her silky pink locks were brushed neatly, but the mild wind picked it up gently, slowly messing up her hair. She sat on the window sill of the old bell tower that always got a fresh coat of white paint every now and then.

Golden eyes surveyed the blue horizon and the buildings with golden roofs, blue stained glass windows and white walls. All the buildings were connected with inner passageways and curved slightly, making it like a spring, or a coil, built over a stunning glassy blue ocean. Starting from the bottom were the richest merchants, slowly going up were then the nobles, and then the castle residents, and lastly was the castle itself, where the royal family resided in.

The Distant Castle, it was called. The mysterious castle that controlled everything from the Vast Hills, to the Tempest's Mountains, and it held a secret that only a handful know about.

A princess. Hinamori Amu.

The King was murdered, making the Queen, extremely worried about her daughter's safety, so she kept her child's birth a secret to only the servants and a few nobles of the Distant Castle. Only when her child's seventeenth birthday is when the Queen would announce the existence of the crowned princess, now of marrying age.

Two days were left until that day would arrive.

Her gown wasn't formfitting, and she liked it that way. It was white with elegant, yet complex gold floral-like patterns at the hem of the flowing skirt. She had a horizontal neckline with a similar gold pattern to it, only with silver beads sewn at the top of the bodice. Golden bangles were on her left arm and one was looped around her right ankle, hidden underneath her skirts.

A silver crown with four gems sitting on top of a weaved-like design melded with the silver, one red, orange, green and then blue.

"Ah, Princess Amu desu! There you are desu!" One of her servants exclaimed in a huff.

Amu turned her gaze from the sky to one of her servants, who had light green hair that was tied in a bun and deep green eyes. Like the colors that were painted on the roofs and walls of the town and fabric on Amu's dress, she wore a pale gold plain dress with a white apron with a few stains from making sweets and such in the kitchen.

Her name was Su.

"Yes?"

"The Queen wishes to speak with you desu." She said.

Amu sighed, "Again?"

"Yes, she's getting anxious as your birthday gets closer desu."

"I'm aware," she replied. "Let's just hope that she won't call to me _ten_ times today like she did yesterday."

Su smiled, "I hope so too, since it's a little after noon and she has called you the fourth time today desu."

"Don't remind me," Amu groaned as she hopped off the window sill. Straightening her skirt, she started to walk with Su. After passing the polished, but unused bell, she asked, "Where's Ran, Miki and Dia?"

"They're making preparations for your party desu."

As they started their descent on the marble steps, the sound of maids and servants shuffling around, carrying objects and messages for others, filled the large hallway that had brilliant windows that showed the uniquely shaped town and the ocean, including the shoreline and the cliffs of the mainland on the opposite side, where all of the peasants resided.

"Are you excited for your birthday desu?" Su asked as she followed Amu down the stairs.

She tried her best not to roll her eyes, "Excited in a bad way. Out of all my birthdays, why does she choose this one to announce my existence?"

"I think we already went through this conversation desu," Su giggled softly.

"I know, but I can't get over the fact," she said as she reached the last step. Walking in the direction where the hallway curved, she watched as a majority of the servants and maids bowed to her momentarily, only to resume their duties.

"Well, I hope you understand that I really can't take any sides desu…"

"Of course," her tone brightened, "but I'm just glad that I have you and the other three where I can say my opinion without having Mother being notified." _Since nearly all of the servants are her spies and will tell her everything and anything._

After passing the bridge-like hallway, the two made it to the main staircase with silver carpeting that covered most of the marble stairs, and golden ribbons tied onto the cherry wood railings.

Taking a turn to the stairs that go up, the two continued to talk, "What do you think will happen when the town realizes that there actually _is_ a princess?"

Su was silent for a second, "I'm not sure desu. There are lots of ways of how the people will react desu."

"I was afraid you would say that," Amu muttered, "I just hope it's at _least_ a small positive reaction."

"That's all we can do now desu."

"See, this is why I wonder why Mother didn't announce my birth to everyone. She just said that it would cause less attention, and the Distant Castle can relax on a few things. I think of it as a near insult."

Su sighed, "Don't think of it like that desu…"

"Why's that?" Amu's pace started to slow.

"Things happen for certain reasons desu."

"Well, that 'certain reason' isn't a good enough reason for me." She countered.

When the two reached the next floor, they turned to now be in a smaller hallway, only the width of it was rather large. On both sides of a grand set of cherry wood doors were small tables with vases with assortments of flowers and paintings. Two crystal chandeliers hung near the windows one on the left and right. Two servants stood attentively at the door.

The two walked up to the door, and the servants bowed to Amu before opening the doors.

Behind the doors was the large throne room. White pillars held up a ceiling that would seem like it would go on forever. Windows with a slight tint of blue reached from floor to ceiling, letting in an infinite amount of light.

A silver and gold rug ran through the middle of the room that eventually led up to a few steps where two brilliant thrones sat. A large one with marvelous carvings, and was gold and the other one, slightly smaller, and with delicate carvings resembling to crawling ivies, and it was silver.

The Queen sat in the silver chair, her golden eyes looked tired and her light brown hair was tied back in a low ponytail. She was dressed in a white gown with a sash of the same colors, red, orange, green and blue, fastened with four diamonds with the same colors. Her bodice had intricate patterns with beads running up and down the sides of it.

Amu instantly curtsied, despite being the only one in the room, besides Su, with her mom.

Su curtsied as well. Both maintained poses until the Queen said, "You may rise." The two did so. The Queen then slowly got up from her throne and walked to Amu.

Su took a few steps back.

Amu greeted, "Hello Mother, what is it that you summoned me for?"

Queen Midori looked at Amu, "I was told that you were distressed because you didn't know why I kept your birth a secret."

_Those dang servants!_

"That is true."

"I believe it's time that I should tell you."

_About time! _"Really?" She asked politely.

"Yes, you deserve to know the truth since your birthday is coming up."

Amu waited for her mother to start speaking anxiously.

"You see, your father, Tsumugu, was murdered a few days before you were born…" she said slowly.

Amu blinked, "I'm sorry, what?"

"The King was murdered a few days before you were born," she repeated. "So, I decided to keep your birth a secret, because I didn't want you to be killed." She said solemnly.

Everything seemed to stop for Amu. She couldn't even hear her own heartbeat. A wave of anger and sadness then consumed her, "What? Father was _murdered_? You said that he was killed when he was sailing!"

"I didn't want you to know the truth until you were old enough to understand." She said calmly.

"_Old_ _enough_? I'm sixteen, and you've kept the truth of Father's death hidden from me? Why was he murdered? Why couldn't you have just told me the truth? It's better to know the bitter truth, than to live with a lie that makes the truth even more rotten when it's finally told!"

"Amu please," Midori grasped Amu's trembling hands. "The reason why I kept your birth a secret was that I was afraid that you would be killed as well! I hid in a secret room in the castle so that they would kill me as well."

"Why wasn't Father with you then?" She then pressed her lips together to keep herself from screaming.

"He told me to hide, and so I did. He protected me. He protected _us_."

"So who was he murdered by anyways?"

"Assassins, who worked for the King of the Platinum Castle in a small country just northwest of the Tempest Mountains. He wanted to take control of the Distant Castle, because it ruled over the largest land mass known in history."

Amu's rage simmered slightly, "And you said that only the servants and a few nobles knew about my secret birth, and _all_ of this?" she asked slowly.

"Yes."

She turned to Su, who looked at the ground, "Su?"

She looked up, "Yes, Your Highness desu?"

"Did you know about this?" Her voice shaking a little.

Su nodded her head slowly, "Yes desu."

"Why did you tell me?" A mix of betrayal and anger were in her words.

Midori quickly said, "Don't take you anger out on your servants, I ordered them not to tell you and that only I would tell you when you were old enough."

_All of these secrets._ "Are there anymore secrets I should know about?" Her attention turned to her mother once again, "Anymore lies that were told to me?"

"Amu—"

"Please refrain from calling for my presence Mother for today," Amu said. Without giving her mother to answer, she turned on her heels abruptly and stormed out of the throne room, followed by Su.

When the doors closed, Amu walked to the flight of stairs that would lead to the next floor above. Picking up her skirts she started to walk up the steps briskly. Noticing Su behind her, she said, "Please leave me for today."

"Princess—"

"Please," she pleaded.

Su sighed in response.

Amu took the opportunity to storm up the marble steps until she could no longer see her friend's face.

Making it to her story, she turned to the left and walked around the stairwell, which led to a bridge-hallway similar to the one below. Walking pass the servants, who bowed to her, but she didn't even acknowledge it, she then made it to her room.

Pushing the doors open herself, not waiting on one of the servants to open it for her, she slammed the doors shut behind her.

Resting her back on the doors, she let out a sigh.

Her room was rather large, with a similar endless ceiling and white pillars as the ones in the throne room, only with a bed with pink and silver bedspread with silver mesh-like curtains winding around the posts of the bed. Two large windows on both sides of her room showed both the endless ocean and the mainland on the other side, both windows with curtains that were silver as well.

The walls were white with paintings of herself as a child and gradually reaching the age she was now, each a little different from the others, despite the dress and the background.

A dresser sat near the window that faced the ocean and a wardrobe on the other side, both with carvings of floral patterns, all the vines met together to form a clover, made out of four hearts that had the same red, orange, green and blue colors.

Amu closed her eyes momentarily to catch up on what just happened that made her leave in a huff.

Her father wasn't killed in a sailing accident, he was _murdered_.

Her mother kept her birth a secret in order to protect her.

And it took sixteen years for her mother to tell her the truth. She lived off a lie for that long.

Cursing at herself inwardly, she walked to the window that was overlooking the uniquely built town. She looked down to see only blue waters down below. It would be some drop if one was to be stupid enough to jump off a roof.

She then saw the small building with little boats either with people or merchandise in them going to and from the stairs that led to the check-in station.

Two days until the world would know her existence, possibly allowing her to get on at least one boat and see what's on the mainland.

…

First, there was a crash of glass, and then a few screams.

"Princess! Wake up!" A familiar voice said.

Amu opened her eyes slowly, "What is it?" she asked, ready to fall asleep.

"Princess, we must leave immediately!" Amu's vision focused and showed Miki at her bedside with deep blue hair and eyes, with Su close by with a simple gown and a purple cape.

"What?" She blinked, "What's going on?"

Ran came by and instantly grabbed Amu's hand, pulling her up, "The castle is under attack! We need to leave!" Her pink hair bounced slightly in her ponytail.

Snapping out of her daze, Amu grabbed the cape and wrapped it around and fastened the golden button, "Where's Mother?"

"We're not sure desu," Su said.

A few more screams and the sound of boots hitting the marble floor started to get louder.

"Where's Dia?"

"At the boats!" Miki replied as she started to lead Amu to a part of the wall, she then hit the door twice before it slowly revolved, allowing dust to swarm in the air.

"Was that there all this time?" Amu asked as she covered her mouth to prevent herself from accidentally inhaling any dust.

"Questions later, we _need_ to get out of here!" Ran said.

The four then shuffled into the dark room, Su, closing the secret door, still holding the light green gown.

By the time the door clicked shut, an array of lanterns glowed on the wall, spiraling down.

Hurriedly walking down the cement stairs, Amu heard the sound of windows crashing in her room and men shouting.

Fear and excitement were her two main emotions. Like going on an adventure that someone has been waiting to go all their life, while knowing the fact that it would be dangerous and they might never see people they love ever again.

"Who's attacking?" Amu asked.

"Some think that it's the prince of the Platinum Castle." Miki replied,

"The old king had a _son_?" _Once again, I was left in the dark._

"Yes."

"Again, are there anymore secrets that I really should know about?"

"We'll tell you everything we know once we get to the mainland!"

"The _mainland_? Really?"

"Yes, now hurry up!" Ran said.

After minutes of, what felt like forever, descending down the stairs, they reached a hallway with similar lanterns lighting the way. The walls were carved out of rock and vines started to grow in the crevices. The air was sticky because of the water below, and it surprisingly smelled like old wood.

There were no windows to Amu's misfortune, and then she realized something else. In the mess of everything, she forgot to bring shoes. She could feet the cool and sticky rock and dirt cling to the bottoms of her feet.

Silently cursing herself again, she did her best to keep up her pace, which was more like a jog.

A few more seconds of jogging through the halls that Amu had no idea ever existed, a door was before them. It was dusty, but she could see the clover design in faded colors.

Ran pushed open the door, and the four ran through, Su closing the door yet again. Ran held out was looked like thick curtains to let everyone pass, revealing what looked like a courtyard, with stone as flooring with pillars with the same design. The smell of salt water then reached Amu's nose.

She looked around to see that there were no windows, just stairs that let out into the ocean.

Walking forward, the three servants led Amu down a few steps and into a small boat, where Dia was sitting in. Her orange hair and eyes seemed to glow despite the darkness.

"Thank goodness you're alright, hurry, we need to get to the mainland before anyone discovers us."

Quickly, Amu got in the boat, followed by Ran, Miki and Su.

Dia then pushed off from the steps with the paddle. She then spoke, "We'll just let the current take us, we don't want to make any loud noises."

Amu then heard the sound of more windows crashing and people screaming. Her attention turned to the castle, she could see people with torches at had in some of the hallways with smashed windows running around. They all wore black capes and their faces were concealed with masks. "Can someone tell me what's going on?"

"Princess Amu, please," Dia whispered. "All we know is that the Distant Castle is being under attacked probably under the orders of the prince of the Platinum Castle."

"Where's Mother?" Her quiet voice was filled with panic.

The boat swayed from side to side as the small waves started to carry them away from where they came from.

"We told you, we're not sure desu." Su replied as she put a hand on Amu's shoulder.

"But—"

"Please hold yourself together desu! We don't want to be caught by them desu!" Su said in a whisper.

"Princess, I know that you're worried right now, but we need to keep you safe right now. We can come back tomorrow when everything has calmed down." Dia replied as she placed the paddle in the boat.

"Yeah! Don't worry!" Ran exclaimed.

Everyone simultaneously let out _sssh_ing noises at her.

"Sorry," she whispered.

_That is, if there's _something_ to come back to. _Amu looked at her home, the one she was born and raised and never took a step out of it until sixteen years later. She could see wispy plumes of smoke coming from the number of torches held by unknown men. The white walls of the castle were now dotted with orange, the colors of the flames. She saw a few men scale the gold rooftops and some up the walls.

She then looked at the midnight sky with stars winking at her that were hanging from invisible threads that would never cut. The half moon could be seen through the thin and small clouds that hung lazily in the air.

Amu then let out a shaky sigh and closed her eyes, in hopes of getting rid of the frightening image before her, losing herself in the darkness, surrounded by a void that would never end until a crevice of light showed.

* * *

Jen: Is it me… or did my writing style change a bit?

Amu: Yeah… idk, it seems more… deep I guess?

Jen: Because I was noticing it when I typed the first few chapters and I'm like… O_o

Ikuto: Deep… right…

Jen: You're just mad because you weren't even mentioned in the chapter.

Ikuto: Yeah, and Kiddy King was?

Jen: Technically, he's a prince in this story.

Ikuto: … shut up! Why must you torture me?

Jen: Because that's my writing style. DUH.

Both Jen and Ikuto continue to argue.

Amu: Anyways, R&R, Jen will update soon! (I hope)


	2. Invisible Identity

Jen (is kinda dead)

Amu: JEN? ARE YOU ALRIGHT?

Jen: Oh, what? Yeah, I was just surprised at the sudden overflow of my inbox the day after I posted In the Distant Castle. 28 NEW MESSAGES! That… no… I never expected such a SUDDEN reaction. I was _shaking_ when I clicked on all of them…

Ikuto: Dork.

Amu: Mean. ^

Jen: Shut up! You don't know what it's like!

Ikuto: (Rolls his eyes)

Jen: So now I HAVE to make another chapter. I don't own Shugo Chara or any of its characters!

* * *

The Distant Castle

"Princess Amu, please wake up," Dia's voice said.

Amu flinched before slowly opening her eyes. The ground was cool and wet, and the sound of water dripping echoed constantly. Rubbing her tired gold eyes, she tried to recollect of what happened.

She was in the boat for no longer than ten minutes before the boat reached the shore. Then the four then searched for somewhere to rest and be safe for the night. And they found a cave.

Rocks that had a little polished glow to it, no thanks to the water that ran down its surfaces, were the color black.

Her head then turned to her left, where see saw the smallest of waves overlap each other smoothly, barely making any sound, and kissed the wet sand before receding into the endless blue ocean.

The Distant Castle that sat on top of that same blue ocean.

Suddenly she got up on her feet, a little shocked to realize that white sandals were now on her feet. _Su must've had some sandals underneath that other dress she had in her hands._

"Careful!" Dia said with concerned.

Ignoring her servant's warning, she walked on the uneven pathway until she reached the beach. Cool water licked her toes, tempting her to take off her sandals, but she refused.

The sun was just peaking over the horizon, everything was fresh. The waves were little, and the ocean looked incredibly still.

Fast walking down the shoreline, she looked frantically for her castle.

Her feet then instantly glued to the shifting sand as she looked at her home a few hundred feet away from the shoreline.

She could see clearly that nearly all of the windows were smashed. Black ash clung to the white walls. She could see it all despite the distance.

The flag that flew gallantly atop the highest tower was now tattered into two pieces of fabric, and it hung lazily from its pole.

The magic-like atmosphere of the Distant Castle seemed to have disintegrated, fizzed out like something from her sparkling grape juice she used to have during lunch.

The Distant Castle looked no longer mysterious and magnificent. It looked eerie and ominous, with no hint of life there despite the people who were assigned to attack her home.

She wanted to cry at that moment. Let her knees buckle and sob until no more tears could fall off of her cheeks, but she refused to.

"_A princess should never cry unless if it's _absolutely _serious. She has to lead her people with bravery and no self-doubt." _Her mother's voice rang in her head, clear enough for her to think that she was standing right in front of her.

_Mother…_ "Mother!" She exclaimed, she instantly turned around to see Ran and Dia standing a few feet away from her. They both wore a light brown cape, hiding their servant dresses.

"Where is she?"

When she didn't get an immediate response, she said again, "Where _is_ my _Mother_?"

Dia shook her head. Her orange curls bounced slightly, "No one knows," but her tone lightened slightly, "but don't just guess that she is… I don't even want to say it. You're a strong girl, and I know you'll stay strong even when you get the news, good or bad."

"Well then let's go get some news." Amu said.

"Wait, before we go," Dia took her arms forward, holding a pale green dress, "Su got you another dress, because I'm sure you don't want to be seen wearing a nightgown."

Not even acknowledging what she wore now, she immediately grabbed the dress. "Where's Su and Miki?"

"They're at the town to see if it's safe for you to go in!" Ran exclaimed.

Amu nodded, "When did they leave?"

"A few minutes before you woke up."

_Before _you_ woke me up._ "Alright then."

…

After a few moments of the girls dressing Amu, much to her reluctance, because she was being dressed… in a _cave_. Dia then folded the slightly dirtied nightgown, "You look beautiful." She looked up at Amu and gave her a smile.

"Yeah, light green surprisingly goes really good with you." Ran added.

Amu smiled, "And red, orange and blue."

"Well, yeah that…" Ran's voice trailed off for a second. "Either way, you look really pretty!" She exclaimed. Her echo lingered in the air for a few moments before fading into nothing.

Now Amu really wished she had a mirror to see the dress properly, but she could see that the gown was strapless, and had a black lacing at the top of her bodice, it was plain except for a few ruffles that were intentional. The skirts were the same color and they were sheer with a gradient of green fading to white. They came just a few inches below her knees, revealing both her golden anklet and white sandals. She still wore the golden bangles.

She then wrapped the purple cape to cover it all.

"Should we go to town? Because they have no idea that the Distant Castle had a princess, nor do they know what she looks like."

"She has a point there," Ran admitted.

"Alright, but our first priority is to find Su and Miki."

"Agreed." Amu replied.

The three then quickly walked out of the cave without stumbling or tripping because of the rocks and were now out on the beach.

Ran pointed to a pathway that seemed to have been carved from the cliff, and blended in fairly well, "They went up this way."

They all started to walk on the white steps that were slightly eroded because of previous storms that would raise the ocean tremendously.

Taking another glance at the Distant Castle, Amu muttered, "I guess we're not going back there… are we?"

"Don't say that," Dia said, "there's always a chance for us to return. Don't give up hope."

"I'm trying not to, but it's a little hard for me," Amu sighed.

"We're here for you Princess—"

"I think… I think you should stop adding the title 'Princess' because well… you know why." Amu said slowly.

"Good idea," she agreed. The three then turned on a platform and climbed a few more steps until they reached the top.

Blades of deep green grass brushed just above her ankles. She looked forward and saw tents of numerous colors, resembling to a rainbow.

Upon hundreds or more people talked and laughed as they walked around the bazaar, filled with trinkets and all sorts of glittering objects, more of them to attract more women to the stands.

"Oh dear…" Dia sighed, "they must've gotten distracted."

"Can we be distracted too?" Ran asked, ready to look around.

"Princ— I mean, Amu-chan, what do you think?"

"We can be distracted for five minutes," she smiled to herself as she looked at all of the tents, "maybe we can find Su and Miki in all of this."

"Alright, but let's try not to get separated."

The three then walked to the fair. The smell of sweets being made and the aroma of incense being lit were the first things Amu detected. Amu saw multiple owners and customers barter for objects of all sorts.

Children giggled as they managed to easily weave their way through the crowds to go to their parents about getting them something that caught their eyes.

Tables had signs with pricings and various objects, from jewelry all the way to pens and all sorts of utensils.

A man hollered over the crowd that seemed like he could cause and earthquake, "WE HAVE SPECIAL FOR RINGS! BUY TWO GET ONE FREE! THEY'RE AT A GREAT PRICE!"

Amu never witnessed such a lively atmosphere, not to mention crowded.

Crowded.

Her eyes widened as she suddenly turned around. Her held breath instantly released once she saw the two at a nearby tent that had a few dresses and some bracelets.

Managing to weave her way through the crowd, she got to the tent to find the two asking for the prices of the dresses.

A man with a 5 o'clock aftershave and a red bandana covering his head said, "Five hundred silver pieces."

Ran's eager grin instantly dropped, "We don't have that much money."

Seeing her sudden disappointment, Amu then spoke up, "Wait," she held up one of her _many_ bangles. They clinked together with her sudden arm movement, "Will one of these do?"

The owner's eyes lit up, "Y-yes! Of course!"

Dia and Ran both looked at Amu, "But Pr— Amu-chan! They're _your _bangles!" Dia protested.

"You deserve _something_ after…" she looked at them, all three now exchanging their unspoken language.

"So do Miki and Su," Amu added.

"But—" Ran protested.

"No, I want to do this." Amu said firmly. She walked up to the owner, "Four gold bangles for four dresses. Is that alright?"

He nearly choked, "_Four_ _gold_ bangles? That's too much! I'll have two!"

Amu blinked, "Two…" _But that's hardly a fair trad—_ _oh well, might as well accept his offer_. "Alright then," Amu said as she slid off two golden bangles, each with complex engravings of a similar floral pattern to that of her previous dress. She then handed them to the owner's hand. She looked over her shoulder, "Go pick out whatever dress you wanted."

Almost instantly, the two girls grabbed their dresses that they had their eye on for a while, Dia also took a blue dress that was supposedly for Miki and Ran grabbed a green dress for Su.

"I don't suppose that you have a dressing room?" Amu asked the owner.

"Yes, it's behind this wall," he pointed to a wall with a pathway.

"You can change there," Amu said as she looked at the girls.

They nodded and walked on the pathway and then they were now standing behind a white wall.

A few minutes ticked away and Amu was just looking at the little pieces of jewelry set on display. Growing up around jewels of all sorts, she noticed that all of these gems were nothing compared to what she had.

"I'm sure we can establish another trade if your interested in some of that jewelry," the owner said.

Amu's train of thought snapped like a tiny thread, " Oh no," she smiled and shook her head slightly, "I was just looking, I have enough jewelry," she gestured to her bangles.

"Pardon me for asking, young lady, but where did you get those bangles? Surely it must've cost a fortune."

_This is bad. _Stringing up the best words she could think of, she stated, "My parent's friends are overseas merchants."

"Ah, I understand. No one around here except for the Queen perhaps, could afford such a number of gold pieces. If I were you, you best keep your left arm hidden underneath that cape of yours. Thieves love to steal in fairs like these."

Amu tried her best no to stutter, "I'm not from here, but I keep on hearing rumors that the Distant Castle has been attacked… and the Queen…?"

The owner's face looked solemn, "I wish they were rumors, but they are true. I heard that the Queen is being locked up somewhere in the Distant Castle."

_I wish they were rumors too— wait…_ "What?" Amu did her best to keep her voice down, but it did no use.

"You know who told those men to attack the Distant Castle? It's the prince of the Platinum Castle, and he says that he wanted to marry the princess of the Distant Castle." He said in a hush.

Amu found it hard to swallow. Her head heated up and she could feel sweat trickling down her neck, "You don't say," her voice faltered ever-so slightly.

"The princess? Ha! He must be crazy, the Queen never gave birth to a child!"

"Must be insane." She muttered.

"I concur. You said that you're not from here, correct?"

Amu nodded.

"Then I have to highly advise that you and your friends not stay in the open when it's dark."

"Why's that?" She was both nervous and excited at the same time.

"A few days ago, when the men sent by prince of the Platinum Castle, were nearing our town, a group of people called the Rebels started to fight them and keep them out. But it didn't work, but all of the townsfolk know that they'll try to attack them tonight. You don't want to be caught in between it, or be captured, thinking that you work for the Rebels, or the other way around."

_I never knew that. _"Thank you good sir, I'll keep that in mind." Amu replied.

"Done!" Ran announced as the two finished fastening the buttons on their capes. Ran wore a red dress with beadings that were designed into a heart in the middle of the red bodice. Pink straps hooked by gold hoops was what kept the dress up. The skirt had many layers; the top was translucent with a pink hue to it, followed by darker shades of pink, and her skirt came just below her knees, similar to Amu's. Her high side ponytail was redone. Everything about her was pink, from her hair, eyes and dress, except for her black flats that she wore as a servant.

Dia had a pale orange and yellow dress on with a half-pleated skirt that reached below her knees. Orange lacings at the top of her bodice formed an array of diamonds. Three finger wide straps had the same diamond lacing to it. She wore similar black flats like Ran.

"Let's go find Miki and Su," Amu said. "Oh, and the dresses look really nice."

"Thanks!"

"Thanks Amu-chan!"

The three departed from the tent and started their adventure through the rest of the fair.

When the sun went up by one degree, Amu could already feel a bit warm wearing her cape, but she wanted to keep her bangles safe, because they were the only things left that had her connected to the Distant Castle.

The urge to, however, rip the cape off was instantly shattered when Ran said, "There they are!"

Amu and Dia followed to where Ran's finger was pointing. Sure enough, over the numerous heads of people, they found two heads, one green and one blue.

Managing to weave themselves out of a crowd, one that was surrounding a tent that was having a tremendous sale, they reached the two girls, who were standing near a stand that was selling food.

"Miki! Su!" Amu said as a greeting when she walked up to the two.

Both were wearing the uniformed brown capes, the same as Ran and Dia.

Miki had a canteen of water, "There you are! We've been looking for you since we didn't see you at the cave—"

"And then we were walking around, but then we got tired desu. So we got some water desu."

"How did you get money?" Amu asked, curious.

"We always carry a few silver pieces just in case desu."

"In speaking of money, we got you some new dresses."

"Really? Princ—"

"Amu! Just call me Amu." She said slowly and quietly.

"Sorry, Amu-chan, you didn't have to!"

"You didn't need to get us new dresses desu."

"It's too late to say no," Amu said.

"Here," Dia handed Miki a light blue dress, and Ran gave Su an emerald green dress.

"Thanks a lot Amu-chan!" Miki said.

"Think of it as a thank-you gift." Amu smiled.

"So did you get any information about the Distant Castle and Her Majesty?" Dia asked.

Miki nodded, "Yeah, she's not in any extreme danger, but she's supposedly held prisoner in the Distant Castle."

Amu bit her lip, "The owner of the tent we went to earlier, he said that the prince, who sent those men, wanted to marry me."

The five were silent.

"That guy is just a creep!" Ran exclaimed, "Doing all of that!"

"Before you start rambling on how strange this person is, how does he know that Amu-chan exists?" Dia asked quietly.

"His dad couldn't have known that, and the assassins were immediately arrested from what we were told." Miki said.

"And that Her Majesty kept Amu-chan's birth a secret to only a few nobles and the servants desu…"

"So either a few servants work for the prince of the Platinum Castle, or the nobles told him about it." Ran finished.

"What else did the owner say?" Dia turned to Amu.

"He also said the strangest thing to me… he said that when the troops of the prince were nearing the town, a group called the Rebels defended the town, but failed. And now, the Rebels are going to fight them again tonight and that we shouldn't be caught outside when it's dark."

"I never heard about the 'Rebels'." Dia replied.

"Me neither!" Everyone simultaneously agreed.

"Are you sure you're now just saying this to make me feel better?" Amu asked.

"Amu-chan, we _promise_ you that we have absolutely_ no_ idea who the Rebels are. Honest!" Ran said.

_So many things were kept from me. It's hard to trust now, but I might as well._ "Okay, okay, I believe you." She said almost reluctantly.

"Would you like some water desu?" Su asked Amu.

It then dawned on her that she hadn't eaten or drank anything since yesterday. As if on cue, her throat tightened and was dried. "Yes," she replied.

Su handed her the canteen that Miki gave her.

Amu then took one big gulp, refreshing her parched throat, and handed it back to Su, "Thanks."

"So what should we do now?" Miki asked suddenly. "We now know what's going on, and we can't exactly go back to the Distant Castle."

"I guess we can make camp somewhere in the forest…" Ran said.

"Why not get a room from an inn desu?"

"We don't have that much money, and I don't think Amu-chan will have enough bangles left if we _do_ get a room."

Amu replied, "For now, I'll be fine as long as we don't camp in that cave." The flashes of the damp walls and rocky terrain made the worst spot to camp in, not to mention that it would be nearly half underwater during high tide.

"The forest it is!"

* * *

Ikuto: …. wtf… I'M STILL NOT MENTIONED YET! JEN I WILL KILL YOU!

Jen: RELAX DRAMA QUEEN! You'll make your appearance LATER!

Ikuto: LATER?

Amu: Ikuto! Calm down!

Ikuto: I hate you Jen, probably everyone else will hate you since I still didn't meet my Strawberry yet! Just watch, ALL of the next reviews will complain that I didn't show up yet!

Amu: Here we go again with 'Strawberry.' I'm not gonna even…

Jen: Relax! I PROMISE that you'll appear SOON!

Ikuto: Please, the only reason people look at fanfictions is that I'm in them!

Jen: Yeah, because you're _so_ popular.

Ikuto: I am! Just go ahead and ask everyone!

Amu: I guess I'm doing this again, R&R!

Jen: I'll update in the next few days, the latest is next week.


	3. Like a Fetter

Ikuto: This is your last chance Jen! If I don't appear in this chapter, I will kill you.

Jen: Pfft, with what? You left your flaming sword in Recruiting an Angel, so… Ah HA!

Ikuto: Well then I'll just get it then!

Jen: It won't work because I didn't even type the next chapter of that story!

Ikuto: …. Ah, screw that!

Amu: These two are never going to get along… Jen doesn't own Shugo Chara or any of its characters!

**Edit 9/17: Oh my God... writer's block has come back to torture me so... if you guys have ANY ideas, please let me know via PM or review... or whatever. Thanks for your patience!**

****Ikuto: What?! JEN! I. WILL. KILL. YOU!

* * *

In the Distant Castle

The five then made camp in a forest, not so far away from the town. They found an ideal spot where there was enough space for them to move and that it was dense enough for no one else to see them.

Su and Amu managed to pluck a number of leaves to act as a cushion, and use the cloaks to cover the mounds and act as a blanket at the same time.

Ran, Miki and Dia were in the town, possibly buying food and water to last for a number of days.

Before Miki left with the others, she changed into her blue dress with deep blue sleeves that went up to her elbows and her sky blue layered skirt that gradually got darker, and went just below the knees. A string of deep blue spades ran along the waistline.

Su was already in the dress that she was given earlier. It had slightly puffed green sleeves with a horizontal neckline. Layers of fabric were making her skirt that flared out slightly at the bottom. Dark green lacings formed into a string of deep green clovers at the ends of her skirts.

…

The sun was slowly setting, causing the sky to look like a rainbow, minus the shades of green. No clouds could be seen drifting lazily in the air, providing all sunlight until it slipped under the horizon.

"Su? Do you think that Mother is alright?" Amu asked before sitting down against a tree.

She placed the last of the firewood in the pile and walked over to Amu. Sitting down slowly, she replied, "Why do you keep on asking me questions that I can't respond to desu?"

"Sorry, I just had to get that out of my system," Amu said as she tightened her grip on her knees.

"No, I understand Amu-chan desu. You're worried about Her Majesty desu."

"I just hope she's alive."

"Amu-chan, who are you desu?"

She blinked, "What?"

"Who are you desu?"

"A princess…?" She replied, uncertain of the question.

"Yes, Princess Amu of the Distant Castle. You can't just hope, you have to _know_ that she's alive desu."

"You sound somewhat like her," she slightly smiled.

"Amu-chan, since you're the princess, it's your job to make sure your kingdom is safe desu. I'm sure Her Majesty would say the same thing desu."

She nodded.

"Besides," Su smiled, "if the prince really did want to marry you, I'm sure he would keep Her Majesty alive desu."

That statement had a bittersweet taste to it. Knowing that there was a good chance that her mother was still alive, lifted a ten ton weight on her shoulders, but that would also mean that some ridiculous prince wanted to marry her and taking the Distant Castle meant that he was serious.

A sudden sound of leaves rustling and branches cracking made the two jump to their feet.

A hushed moment passed, and then whispers appeared behind the leaves from above.

The two stood and looked up only to see nothing.

"Please tell me I'm not going crazy." Amu sighed.

"No, I heard it too desu."

"What do you think it could be?"

"An animal desu?"

"You're probably right."

A blur of motion then knocked Su and Amu aside. Amu didn't have time to yelp or to process what just happened, but the sudden thump to the head did reach her mind. Stars cascaded around her and her world started to spin. Grasping her head with one hand, she nearly cursed under her breath, "Ouch!"

The sound of boots striking the grass was sudden, and leaves rustled violently. With her vision still in an array of colors, she asked, "Su? What's going on?"

She heard Su moan a few feet away, "I'm not sure, my head hurts desu."

_I feel your pain._

A few unfamiliar voices then sounded, "So these are the two the other three girls mentioned?" that was a girl's voice.

"They don't really put up a fight!" A male voice exclaimed, nearly laughing.

Ran's voice rang throughout the trees, "We _told_ you that we _don't_ work for that stupid prince! He was the one that basically kicked us out of our home!"

When Amu's vision recollected, she found a group of people standing in the camp Su and she worked so hard on. The closest one to her was a girl with piercing purple eyes and blonde hair that was tied in to high side tails, she wore a dark red cloak with one side pulled over her shoulder to reveal an obsidian blade held up by a black belt. Her outfit was black as well. Sleeves that reached to her elbows that had arm guards and she had black gloves that exposed her fingers. Her black shorts came to her mid-thigh and she wore black boots that came up to her knees.

"Ran?" Amu asked under her breath. Sure enough, she saw a girl with reddish-pink hair being dragged by a guy with neat dark green hair and eyes followed by glasses with a dark green, cloak. He had a similar black outfit like that other girl, only his sleeves came down to his wrists and his pants were full length.

Ran was fuming as Miki and Dia were just casually following her, both with a slight annoyed expression.

"Can you please be quiet for a moment?" The guy asked, despite his calmed look, he sounded really annoyed.

"No! If you would let me go that would be nice! Amu-chan, should you just tell this idiot who you are?!"

"Ran!" Miki, Dia and Su yelled.

"What?! I'm sure these guys are the Rebels just by looking at the way they're dressed!"

"She does have a point," another guy said, with tousled orange-brown hair and emerald green eyes. He wore a brown cloak, with a similar outfit like the guy who was dragging Ran.

Amu sighed, "Why should I tell them? They won't exactly believe me." She said as she rubbed her head gingerly.

"Yeah Ran, they might think we're crazy desu."

_They're probably thinking that Ran's the crazy one._

"Still, it's worth a shot!" Ran protested.

"Wait a second!" The guy with tousled orange-brown hair exclaimed.

A silence soon swept over the chaos. "What are they trying to say?"

"It means that they want to tell us something important," the guy with green hair replied. He finally released Ran, she took her wrist and rubbed it slightly.

"Well why don't we hear it?" Amu looked up to see a guy with extremely long purple hair and hazel eyes sitting on top of a branch he wore a deep purple cloak. He jumped down, and a girl with blonde wavy hair and brown eyes followed suit her deep orange cloak fluttered as she landed.

Amu looked at Su, then Ran, Miki and Dia. They all nodded. Slowly getting up to her feet, she quickly regained composition. Speaking in her regal princess tone she spoke, "I am Princess Hinamori Amu, daughter of the Queen Midori and passed King Tsumugu. Heir the throne of the Distant Castle."

A longer pause of silence filled the air, long enough for Amu to sit down and take a short nap.

The guy in the brown cloak started to laugh. His arms clutching his stomach, "The Princess?! The Queen never had a kid!"

_If I ever be Queen, he's the first occupant for the first jail cell._

"Kukai," the girl with purple eyes hissed, "hang on a second. That crazy prince did say that he wanted to marry the princess of the Distant Castle."

The guy named 'Kukai' bounced back from his sudden outburst, "How do we know that she's really the princess?"

"We could quiz her," a voice said. They all looked up to see a guy with midnight blue hair and eyes. He wore a midnight blue cloak that was slightly tattered at the ends. He stood on branch with hands in his pockets.

"Ikuto!" The guy with purple hair exclaimed, "How long have you been there?"

"Since you attacked these two," Ikuto eyed at Su and then at Amu, a gaze lingering for a few more seconds.

He then jumped off the branch and landed without making a noise. He had black pants and jacket, tied below his right knee were a few knives and attached to his side was a sword with a black scabbard and dark blue designs on it.

He then made a sweeping bow to Amu, "If you won't mind, I would like to ask you a few questions to see if you truly are the princess."

Amu did her best not to cock an eyebrow at him, "Very well," she replied.

He then looked at her, "How did the King die?"

"He was killed by men sent by the previous king of the Platinum Castle."

"How many pillars are in the Distant Castle's throne room?"

"Seven, three on both sides and one behind the thrones."

"What's your typical lunch?"

Amu blinked. _Lunch? What?_ "I'm sorry, what?"

"What do you have for lunch?" He repeated, he took a step forward as well.

"Uh, it varies. Either a sandwich or a soup, but my main drink is sparkling grape juice, and what kind of question is that?"

He made another bow, this time taking off an imaginary hat, "I'm very pleased to meet you again Hime-sama."

Simultaneously, murmurs amongst the caped group started while Ran, Miki, Su and Dia exclaimed, "Ehh?!"

"Again? I've never seen you before," Amu said as she lifted an eyebrow of curiosity.

"Oh, that really hurts me," he placed his imaginary hat back on and stood straight, holding his heart with a gloved hand, "really it did. Surely you must remember the little boy helping out with one of the servants during lunch. I believe you were eight-years-old at that time."

"Sorry, it still doesn't sound familiar." Amu strained her mind to try to find such a memory.

"Maybe you remember when I accidentally tripped and spilled soup on your skirt."

A flash suddenly appeared in Amu's eyes. She remembered the white pillars, with gold ribbons wrapped around the carved pieces. She sat at a magnificent glass table, her small glass of sparkling grape juice with microscopic bubbles sticking to the sides of the condensing glass.

A balcony with open doors were a few feet away from her, revealing the ocean that would never end. The balcony had flower pots of gold and silver that had all sorts of flowers arranged until they were all copies of each other, with marble floors, reflecting the sun's immense rays. A boy a few years older than her with a gold vest and white sleeves with black pants, with the matching midnight blue eyes and hair, holding a bowl of her favorite chicken noodle soup, slipped on the polished marble floor. The contents of the bowl flying out and landing on her dress with white and gold patterns that resembled a vine, reaching from the bottom of her skirt and looping around her tiny waist once and racing up the side of the bodice until it met with the golden translucent sleeves.

She yelped, and her small crown managed to weave its way out of her pink hair as she jumped from her seat. The tiara making a _ching!_ noise as it met the polished floors.

The flashback then faded, and Amu shook her head, "I remember that clearly. You were the clumsy servant who ruined my favorite dress."

"I don't think _clumsy_ would fit it, but call it whatever you desire."

Miki asked, "Wait a second! This is the guy that made Amu-chan cry that day?"

Amu looked at Miki, "I wasn't crying about the dress, I was crying that the soup was _hot_!"

Ikuto said, "It's nice to meet you once again. Sorry about the sudden attack on you and your servants."

Amu nodded slightly.

"Here, this is Utau," he gestured to the girl with purple dagger-like eyes, "that's Kukai over there, Kairi," he pointed to Kairi standing near a tree where he let go of Ran, "that's Nagihiko, but we call him Nagi," he pointed to the guy with the extremely long locks, "and that's Rima," he pointed to a girl, a few inches smaller than Nagi.

"And I'm guessing, you're Ikuto?" Amu asked slowly.

"The one and only," a smirk curled his lips.

Amu saw Rima help Su up before asking, "Wait, so why did you quiz me if I was the princess when you already knew that I existed and what I looked like?"

"I just wanted to make sure," he put his hands up in defense.

Utau interrupted their conversation with a fold of her arms, "So what? Are we going to let them live with us or not?"

"Well we can't leave the dear princess," he looked at Amu, with the same smirk curling his lips, "and her friends alone in the forest. I'm sure Yaya will think of something."

She let out a huff before replying, "We don't have any room for _five_ more people."

"I _told_ you, Yaya will think of _something_."

"Fine, whatever," she muttered.

_She's obviously not happy about that._

"C'mon, we don't want to get caught by those damned soldiers," Utau said as she walked away into the shrubs.

Ran, Miki, Su and Dia then ran up to Amu.

"Are you alright Amu-chan desu? You hit your head pretty hard desu!"

"Who's the idiot who did that?! I'll kick his butt!" Ran offered.

Amu flinched at the sudden volume of talking, and shook her head, "I'm fine if you won't yell in me ear."

"Sorry Amu-chan," Ran said.

"You're pretty tough even though you were cooped up in that castle all these years," Ikuto said as he bent down and picked up Amu's purple cloak and handed it to her.

"Oh, so you expected me to be very fragile like most princesses?" Amu lifted an eyebrow at him and snatched her cloak from his hand.

"You shouldn't have said that," Dia muttered. She was referring to Ikuto.

"Well of course! How else can I protect you?" He smirked.

A slight blush crept up on her cheeks. Trying to get rid of it, she countered, "Last time I saw you, you were a servant's assistant, not a knight," she rolled her eyes.

"Things change," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

Kukai called out, "Well are you going to stand there all night? 'Cause we're gonna go back to the hideout!" He said before vanishing in the bushes, the shrubs rustled, and Amu could hear the _snap! _from a few twigs.

Nagi, Rima and Kairi followed suit.

"Shall we?" Ikuto offered a hand to Amu, but she ignored it and walked on.

At the corner of Amu's eye, she could see Su picking up her cloak and wrapping it around her shoulders.

The palace rules were still in play, as the four girls were precisely ten steps behind her, and Ikuto, surprisingly, at Amu's side.

Stepping through the shrubs, carefully, that tickled her legs, Amu asked, "So why did you leave the Distant Castle? Actually…" she paused. "I haven't seen you since you spilt soup on my skirt."

"Why do you ask? Were you worried about me?" He kept his smirk on.

"No, just curious," she replied. "A servant's assistant can't exactly get fired… I think."

"Well," he said thoughtfully, "let's just say that my mother wanted me home."

Amu nodded slightly, "Alright." Her foot instantly came into contact with a hidden root.

"Amu-chan!" Her friends called form behind her. She yelped as she staggered forward, losing her footwork in the process, falling down onto the grass, and she closed her eyes.

Waiting for the impact that never came, she opened one eye to see an arm wrapped around her waist. Following the arm to its owner, she saw Ikuto, even closer than ever.

She held back her sigh of relief when she locked eyes with him.

"You need to be more careful, Hime-sama, or I might as well have to carry you there." He said smoothly.

_I don't know if I should be happy or insulted by this…_ She lifted her foot from the root and regained her footwork as she took his arm away from her waist, "I can manage."

He lifted an eyebrow, adding more effect to his mischievous grin, "Or really? I'll give you five seconds until you trip again."

With her mouth slightly agape, she continued to walk, only a bit faster, to get away from him as quick as possible. A lingering worry floated in the air, a possibility that she could trip again, making her glanced down for a second. Her forehead soon bumped into a low branch. Making her jump back and rubbing her head gingerly.

"Amu-chan…" Dia sighed with a hint of disappointment.

"Amu-chan! Are you alright?!" Miki and Ran exclaimed.

"You're still as clumsy as ever desu."

Not even bothering at glancing at Ikuto, knowing that he would still have the smirk, possibly laughing at her, she glared at the branch.

"I think that was four seconds," Ran muttered.

"Not helping," Amu warned, without looking at her.

Ikuto made an _hmpf_ sound before asking, "What did I tell you?"

"I didn't trip," Amu said, not noticing that she stopped walking and was looking at the branch that bopped her on the head, "I walked into it. There's a difference."

Without warning, an arm slung across her waist and then the bottom of her knees. Now with her feet no longer on solid ground, she kicked for a few moments, "H-hey! Put me down!"

"The forest is just going to get worse for you if you keep on walking. Besides, we'll never get to the hideout at this pace." He said.

"Are you saying that I walk slowly?"

"No, but call it whatever you want."

Doing her best from looking at him again, she folded her arms, "How much farther is the hideout?"

He ducked underneath the branch and took a step down, now walking on dirt, "A few minutes."

Trying to avoid intervals of awkward silence, she asked, "Who's Yaya?"

"She mainly cooks the food, helps out with building weapon and can help with injuries, although Kairi is the one who mainly does all the medical stuff. She's a little crazy too," he muttered the last part.

Imagining a girl, who cooks, and can build weapons… and being crazy, was a bit hard for Amu. She never really seen any _crazy_ people, but she didn't know if she should count Ran, because of her always happy and energy filled personality, which can be a bit strange sometimes.

"How's your head?" His voice broke her train of thought.

"It's throbbing, but other than that, it's fine," she put on a fake smile, even though she grimaced on the inside.

Walking past a few more tall trees, straight ahead sat a large boulder with a few more smaller rocks stacked around it.

"Here we are." Ikuto announced before gently placing Amu back on her feet.

"Where's _here_ anyways?" Miki asked.

He was silent as he walked up to the pile and motioned the girls closer. Slamming one of the smaller stones, a _click!_ was heard, after that, nothing.

"What was that about?" Amu asked.

"Just walk closer."

Knowing that something would happen, she braced herself for something to sneak up on her or something on the lines of that. Nearing the pile, she felt the floor underneath her vanish. As if a knot was tied around her ankle, gravity pulled her down.

* * *

**Edit 9/17: Oh my God... writer's block has come back to torture me so... if you guys have ANY ideas, please let me know via PM or review... or whatever. Thanks for your patience!**

Amu: Always… you always have to leave it as cliffhangers…

Jen: You're complaining? I thought Ikuto was the complainer out of the two of you!

Ikuto (shakes his head): Nah, I'm good this time. Jen, I forgive you. I finally met my Strawberry and carried her to the hideout!

Jen: Well at least one of you are happy. Anywho, R&R!


	4. More Freedom

Jen: Another chapter! Happiness! I'M OUT OF MY WRITER'S BLOCK! XDDDD

Ikuto: Shut up! I want to see what happens to my Hime-sama!

Jen: (scoffs) Well then! On a different note, I'm wondering why this story is much popular than Recruiting an Angel…

Ikuto: Because it sucks.

Jen: You're THIS close of being killed off in the story!

Amu: Please, ignore them… Hime-sama? Well, it's better than Strawberry… Jen doesn't own Shugo Chara or any of its characters!

* * *

In the Distant Castle

Screaming as she slid down the slide-like path. It wasn't long, nor did it curve around in a frenzy like a staircase from the Distant Castle. Her sandaled feet soon struck sand, and she slid for a second.

Now with grains of sand in her sandals, she rubbed her head. _I think I hit it again._

A wave of echoed screams sounded behind her, and gradually got louder. Instantly, she scrambled onto her feet and jumped out of the way as Ran, Miki, Su and Dia all tumbled onto the sand, landing in the exact spot where Amu landed a few seconds ago.

The sound of feet skidding got louder, until a firm _thump!_ was heard on the sand. Ikuto got up as if it were nothing and discarded his dark blue cloak and tossed it in a nearby chair.

"You could've told us about that trap door you know," Amu nearly whined.

"Yeah!" Ran exclaimed, "Amu-chan could've _died_!"

"What? If anything, _you_ look like you four had been tied in a knot!" Amu countered.

Poor Su was on the bottom of the pile, struggling to get up. Ran was the first to get up, followed by Miki, and Dia helping Su up, "I think my insides are crushed desu," Su sighed as she put a hand over her heart.

"What's the fun in that?" Ikuto asked Amu, mimicking like an innocent question a child would ask.

Amu rolled her eyes, now surveying the so-called _hideout_. It was rather large, with a dirt floor hallway with sticks and roots as the walls and ceiling. Glowing crystals hung in small baskets, mimicking torches, and lined the hallway walls until it got to a fork in the path. Five more hallways showed, each with different crystal lighting.

From left to right, the colors were red, blue, purple, white and green.

"This is a _large_ hideout," Dia said with the sound of fascination.

"Why thank you," the corners of Ikuto's lips curled up slightly. "Are you impressed, Hime-sama?"

"Do I need to answer that?"

He put his hands up in surrender, "Of course not," he scoffed. He regained composure and then pointed at the hallways with colored lights, "The red hallway is the kitchen and basically the living room, dining room and kitchen all in one. The blue hallway is the guys' side, purple is the girls', both sides have two bathrooms, the white is the weaponry room with a little training room, and the green one is the exit."

"How can they all glow?" Amu thought aloud.

"You'd be surprised at what you can find just outside the town."

"By finding, do you mean 'steal'?"

"Of course not!" He exclaimed, almost sounding like he was insulted, "Some people that we fight carry interesting stuff. Including caves that we used to sleep in for the night."

Out of comments, Amu pursed her lips and folded her arms underneath her cloak, which was dusted at the edges with dirt.

"I think Yaya is in the red hallway," Ikuto gestured to the hallway on the left, "c'mon." He started to walk away, and the five girls quickly followed.

As they neared the corridor, the smell of cooked chicken floated in the air, making Amu's stomach growl, but it was unheard because of the sound of the popping and spoon stirring on the pan. The walls had a string of red crystals, similar to the one where the entrance of the hallway was. A few glass lanterns glowed from the ceiling. A few feet away from the stove was a decent sized table with eight wooden chairs with orange cushions. Around the corner were a few pelts of animals laying on the earth floor and some were pinned up on the walls. Kukai and Nagi were relaxing on one of the bear pelts, Kukai sharpening a knife and Nagi reading a parchment.

"Smells good," Ran sighed melodramatically. She looked at Su, "Why don't you make something like that?"

She smiled apologetically, "Sorry, you know I can only make sweets desu."

Ran slouched and kicked a tuft of earth underneath her.

A girl at the black stove top with orange hair and pigtails with big red bows and brown eyes was the one who was responsible for the delicious smell looked at Ikuto, and then her eyes trailed to Amu and her friends. She seemed calm, in Amu's point of view, that is, until she dropped the spoon and squealed as she ran up to Amu and trapped her in a death hug.

She moved so fast that it took a few seconds for Amu to process what just happened, "H-hey! Y-you're," her voice faltering at every word, "k-killing me."

"Yaya, you're going to squeeze her until she pops like a balloon." Ikuto said.

Yaya released her grip and smiled at Amu, "Sorry!" she said loudly. "It's nice to see more people! Yaya is so happy to see new people!"

_Why… is she talking in third person? _"Nice to meet you too," she said, unsure what to say.

"Do you have anymore space on the girls' side?" Ikuto asked.

Yaya blinked, "Yaya thinks so. If not, they can share beds."

Ikuto smirked at Amu, "Or she can share a bed with me." He said in a low voice.

_Please have more room on the girls' side. Please._ Amu glared at Ikuto, but she could feel the heat rising to her cheeks.

"Ikuto is such a pervert!" Yaya exclaimed, and Amu has to stifle a laugh at the sudden outburst. She could hear Kukai chuckling and saw him grinning and nudging Nagi. Both snickering.

Ikuto however, didn't seem fazed by it.

A fowl smell soon replaced the smell of the cooking chicken, making Su scrunch up her nose, "I think the chicken is burning desu!"

Alarm filled Yaya's eyes and she spun around, "Oh no! Yaya totally forgot!" Kukai and Nagi looked at Yaya, and Nagi was about to get up to held until Yaya scrambled to pick up the chicken and plopped it on a plate and quickly turning off the stove. "Okay, it's still good." She sighed. She turned around to face Amu, "So, what's your name?"

"Amu."

"I'm Ran!"

"I'm Miki."

"Dia."

"I'm Su desu. Nice to meet you."

"Okay!" Yaya smiled. She looked at Ikuto, "Leave them to Yaya!"

"Alright," Ikuto shrugged, "I'll be in the white hallway if you need me." And with that, Ikuto left the kitchen and passed the corner where they came from. "See you soon, Hime-sama."

Amu scowled at the name even though she was one.

"C'mon! Yaya will show you where you'll sleep." Yaya said as she walked in the direction Ikuto was going. The five followed her out of the red hallway and passing the blue hallway and filed into the purple hallway. They turned a corner, where a purple crystal glowed brightly. Nearing a doorway with a curtain covering it, Yaya lifted the cloth and let the five go in first.

Like in the kitchen, purple crystals dotted the corners of the large room, and a few glass lanterns hung from the ceiling. There was two bunk beds made out of stones and was wrapped with what looked like twine and a few other items. Parallel to the beds were two small dressers with one large full length mirror. No fancy designs like Amu's mirrors in her room. It was just a simple rectangle mirror.

Utau sat on the top bunk, nearest to the door. Her cloak hung from the post and her shoes were sprawled on the floor. She paid no attention to the girls. She took out her knife that laid on the bed and started to pick at it.

Rima lay on the bunk below Utau. She glanced at them and then back at the bottom of the top bunk.

The beds were, of course, not as large at Amu's bed, but they were decent sized.

"Hi guys!" Yaya exclaimed.

Utau looked at Yaya and then refocused on picking out bits of dirt from her blade.

"Hi." Rima said quietly and coolly.

Yaya pointed at the empty bunks, "The top one is Yaya's and the bottom one is empty. Amu-chi can sleep there. Since we don't have any extra beds, and Yaya doesn't want you to sleep on the floor, you can share beds."

Ran, Miki, Su and Dia seemed calm about the idea.

_Well of course, they had to do that in the castle._

"Amu-chan can have the bed to herself," Dia said.

"What?" Amu turned to her, "No, you don't have to say that. I don't mind."

"But Amu-chan—"

"This isn't the Distant Castle."

Utau scoffed, "Weird. People would usually think that you would be against sharing beds, since you're a princess and all."

"Amu-chi's a princess?!" Yaya exclaimed.

"Unfortunately yes. I'll give her five seconds to start complaining how this isn't appropriate for a princess such as herself." She rolled her eyes.

"Hey! What's it to you?" Ran asked as she placed her hands on her hips.

"What's wrong little princess? Too special to argue without someone speaking for you?" Utau asked as she placed her knife beside her.

"I never said I was!" Amu replied, completely insulted. "I never complained since we got here! I barely know you, and you suddenly hate me!"

"That sums it up." Utau and Amu were now in a glaring contest.

Rima spoke calmly, "Utau, knock it off. I'm tired, so stop yelling."

Utau huffed and rested her back on the wall.

"Amu-chi's a princess?!" Yaya exclaimed once again.

Amu sighed, "Yes. I'm not sure anymore though. Mother was still in the castle when they attacked." She had a hard time saying the last sentence and she battled the tears back with all of her might.

"That's so cool!" Yaya caught herself, "About being a princess. Not the attacking part."

_I think both are pretty bad. Me being the princess is what started it all. _"So about sleeping conditions…"

In the end, the six, minus Utau, discussed and came to a conclusion that Amu and Dia would bunk together, Yaya and Ran, Rima and Su and Utau and Miki, much to Miki's reluctance. Utau wasn't a part of the conversation, but seemed happy that it wasn't Amu who had to share the same bed as her.

To quickly leave the room, Amu proposed the idea of taking the rest of the tour of the underground hideout. Yaya agreed, and Amu was beyond relieved that she didn't have to be in the same room as Utau. With her cloak now sitting on her bed, she left with the group.

The five were now in the white hallway, where the training room and the weaponry room was. Yaya referred the white hallway as the guys' territory, because that was where the guys were majority of the time if they weren't on patrol to see if there were any signs of the prince's soldiers.

There was a blue mat that covered a majority of the flooring in the large room. A room in the far corner of the room was where all of the weapons were stored, and a few were hanging on the shelves and racks. A few human shaped targets were hung up on the wall, already with knives striking vital points of the human figure. Amu swallowed, hoping that that wouldn't be her if she ever got caught in a fight with the prince's soldiers.

Kukai and Ikuto were practicing hand-to-hand combat, Ikuto dodging a punch from Kairi and sending a few jabs in the direction of Kairi's stomach, him dodging in a matter of less than a second, while Kairi and Nagi were practicing with swords. The metal clashing together in a dangerous dance with a _shing! _every now and them.

"So many things that differ from the training room for the knights…" Amu muttered. She remembered instantly about when she was younger, she ventured through the halls, without supervision to her happiness, and found the training hall for the knights. This training room was _nothing_ compared to the room in the Distant Castle, not that she was complaining however. The knight's training room had pillars supporting it, similar to those in the throne room, with ridiculously large windows and gold curtains. Not to mention, there were three or so obstacle courses in the training hall.

"Is that good or bad?" Ikuto's voice snapped her out of her train of thought.

She shrugged, "The weapons are decent. You have basic training props." She said plainly.

"So you know about weaponry?" Kairi asked. This brought the attention of both Nagi and Kukai. Both of them slowly lowering their swords, in hopes of getting fragments of the conversation.

"Please! Amu-chan can defend herself with _any _weapon!" Ran said proudly.

Amu looked at Ran, "No!" she was quick to say. "Just swords and knives. I'm better at hand-to-hand combat." Like all royal members, she had to learn how to defend herself. She knew the basics and a few pressure points.

Dia asked with a slight smile curling her lips, "But remember that time when you had that huge spear and nearly tossed it out the window?"

Heat rushed to her cheeks when Amu heard the snickers and chuckles from the guys.

"Or when you built a fortress out of shields desu?"

Amu spun on her heels, "I was eight!" her voice squeaked.

"Or—" Miki was about to add on.

She pointed a finger at her, "Don't you dare say more!" her voice filled with embarrassment and annoyance.

"Well," Kairi started, "it's good to know that you know some self defense."

"Maybe she can tag along during our patrols!" Kukai exclaimed.

"It would be nice to have someone new to the patrol rounds," Nagi smiled lightly.

Ikuto put up a hand to silence them. "Since when did you three call the shots?"

"C'mon Ikuto! It's not like we'll have to worry about her every five seconds!" Kukai pressed on.

Amu turned around to see Ikuto's expression. _Staying in the hideout will be like living in the Distant Castle. _She inwardly rolled her eyes.

Ikuto's eyes seemed serious. Like he was actually thinking about it. His expression was blank for a moment, before a smirk curled his lips once again.

_Oh, I really don't like the look on his face right now._

"How about this? Do at least a decent job of fighting—"

"Done." Amu said.

"I wasn't finished." He said in a sing-song tone. "Do at least a decent job of fighting _me_. No weapons."

She bit her lip to keep herself from smiling like an idiot. _That shouldn't be that hard._ "What if I beat you?"

Ikuto gave her a look before replying, "If. _If_ you somehow beat me, then you can come and go as you please, but if not, then you have to ask me every time you go out."

She felt like a princess, or a child, all over again. Snapping one of her good nerves.

"Amu-chan," Miki said in a wary tone.

"Didn't you hear me? I'll comply." Amu said to Ikuto, ignoring Miki.

Smirking, Ikuto gestured to the mat, "Shall we?" Kairi was then moving off the mat.

Tilting her head to one side, she put up a mock smile before sliding her bangles off her arm. Turning to Su, she asked, "Hold these for me?"

"Alright desu." Su smiled as she grasped the bangles.

Not bothering on taking off her anklet, she walked to the mat, where Ikuto was waiting.

"I won't go easy on you," Ikuto warned in a teasing tone.

"Just because I'm a princess doesn't mean that I'll go easy on you too."

He scoffed, "Let's get this over with." He took a fighting stance, and Amu did the same.

"After you, _good sir_," Amu taunted.

Without saying anything, Ikuto leaned to the left and took a step forward. With his body moving fluidly and his arm following. Noticing an oncoming jab, Amu picked up his wrist with her forearm and started to send a blow with her free hand.

Ikuto's arm twisted slightly to untangle his from hers. Slinking to the right, he ducked and turned, his back facing her body as he made his way behind her.

Spinning around, Amu stuck her foot next to his ankle and managed to jab his shoulder with two fingers. Ikuto stumbled a bit, but regained his foot work by picking up his foot a bit and swinging it, bringing it to her side. His left arm looked a little limp because of her previous hit.

The kick wasn't hard, but it wasn't light either. Amu staggered to the left and swung her arm to regain balance. Her arm that she swung brushed over his stomach. But then it was caught by his hand. Like lighting, Ikuto appeared behind Amu, and he slowly twisted her arm behind her back. Amu winced.

"Give up?" His husky voice was dangerously close to her ear.

"You wish," Amu said. Spinning, her arm unraveled and her foot met his stomach. Much to Amu's misfortune, he wasn't really affected by the kick. Ikuto smirked at Amu's confusion.

"But that was a direct hit…" Ran murmured.

Kukai smiled, "Ikuto's the strongest out of all of us."

"But…" Amu muttered. She looked at his stance and smiled to herself. Stepping on one foot, she brought her other foot to the back of his knee. Ikuto's expression was priceless to Amu. Eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. He knelt forward for half a second before getting back up on his feet. Before Amu could react, she could feel one harsh stab at her shoulder. Her right arm immediately losing feeling. She looked at her arm and then back at him, "You…"

"Now, we're even." Ikuto smirked.

_And there goes my dominant arm._

"I'll give her five more seconds." Ran muttered.

"Probably three desu."

"Don't say that!" Dia protested.

He bent forward and brought another blow to her side. Her left arm wasn't quick enough, but satisfactory filled her when she accidentally slammed her hand into his face.

Amu caught his knee that she kicked give in a bit at the corner of her eye, but it took her a few seconds to recover from the hit. Fighting herself from holding her side, she ducked under a few punches by his right hand and hooked her foot behind his knee again, this time bringing him down to the ground. And bringing her with him.

Thanks to the mat cushioning her fall, she opened her eyes to find herself underneath him. He was grimacing and hissed slightly, probably because he stopped his fall with his right arm only. It was then when Ikuto opened his eyes.

He was so close. Dangerously close. She could feel their breaths mingling. If it wasn't for her numb right arm, she would've pushed him off seconds ago. With a flushing face, she did her best not to stutter, "Could you g-get off of me?" She wanted to kick herself for stuttering that one word.

"Hmm?" He leaned a bit closer, "Why not Hime-sama?" he purred.

_Too close! Too close! Too close! _Sweat trickled down her neck and her heartbeat sped more than it should.

She closed her eyes only to hear him chuckling. A low, dark chuckle. "You're reactions are so cute." He said.

Her eyes shot wide open. Ikuto pulled back and stood. Amu was beyond relieved that the weight above her was now gone.

The four girls rushed to Amu to help her up. Amu grabbed Dia's hand and took her bangles from Su.

"Are you okay Amu-chan?"

"He didn't hurt you badly, did he desu?"

"That was close!"

"It looked a little sweet," Dia said.

The girls immediately turned to her, all of them with the same exact expression, only Amu still had pink cheeks.

Answering all of the girls' comments, Amu said, "I'm fine. No, he didn't. And, yes it was. And, _no_ it most certainly did _not_!" Putting her attention on Ikuto, he said, "Well, you fight better than any other village girl. To be honest, I thought you would last five seconds after we started to fight."

"Sorry to disappoint you." She said somewhat politely.

"You're fighting skills are more than average." Kairi noted.

"See? She can fight!" Kukai said.

Amu added, "So… did I win?"

"Well, I brought you down with me, and you hit the mat first." Ikuto said coolly.

"But I kicked you and you fell first, and _then_ you dragged me down." She countered.

"So?" He chuckled, "You hit the mat first."

"But I hit you first."

"You do realize we're going in circles?"

"Do I win or not?"

"No."

She gave him a look and shook her head slightly.

"What?" He shrugged, "You lasted a decent amount of time. You just need to ask permission when you leave the hideout."

"Amu-chan, just leave it there." Miki said.

Amu heaved in a sigh, "It's definitely better than living in the Distant Castle." _I've more freedom._

* * *

Jen: Yes! Another chapter!

Amu: Woooo!

Ikuto: I….

Jen: Hate it?

Amu: Love it?

Jen: Wait…. Why are we ALWAYS wanting to hear Ikuto's opinion?

Ikuto: Because I'm awesome, and well, look at me! I'm sexy!

Jen: *facepalm* How does that— I'm not gonna even.

Ikuto: You could've added a kiss in there…. Or three.

Amu: Uh, no.

Ikuto: Aw come on, I know you loved it.

Jen: OKAY! MOVING ON!

Amu: R&R!

Ikuto: So we can get to the Amuto moments faster!


	5. Unveiling Adventure

Jen: Okay, I'm sorry for not like… posting in a while! I lost inspiration, and then I started a few new stories and—

Ikuto: They don't care about your lame excuses! You TOOK TOO LONG!

Amu: Hey! Give her some slack!

Ikuto: *rolls eyes*

Jen: Seriously, I am _so_ sorry for the wait! I'm so glad if you guys stuck with me and this story! I know is has been a while, and this update PROVES that I didn't abandon it! Shugo Chara and its characters don't belong to me!

* * *

In the Distant Castle

Within the first few days the pink haired princess started to live with Ikuto and the others, she slowly adjusted to their way of life. As in, not many manners were required, she could speak freely and not formally, and her curfew wasn't as strict. She tried to ask Ikuto to go out of the hideout and try to figure out the status of her mother, but she never seemed to catch him on time, because he wasn't really there when she actually needed to talk to him. Besides that, she was quite content with her new lifestyle.

But today, was different. Ikuto was practicing his swordsmanship skills in the training room.

_Finally, I can actually go outside._ Amu smiled inwardly. Walking up to him as he was pretending to block someone, she asked, "Hey, Ikuto. Could I go to town? I'm concerned about my mother right now, and I want to know what's going on." It wasn't much of a question, but more of a demand, in a semi-polite tone.

He stopped and then looked at her. "I was wondering when you would ask."'

She lifted an eyebrow. "Excuse me, but I've _been_ thinking about it, but you always seem to never be around!"

"Well," he chuckled. "I didn't know that you wanted me _that_ much."

Amu sighed. "Can I go or not?"

"Of course, of course, Hime-sama." He said as he returned the wooden sword along with a rack of others.

…

Amu didn't bother on telling her servants, she might as well call them friends, because it would make her worry. She would've gone alone, but Ikuto _insisted_ that he would go with her, with his arrogant smile, he claimed that he was able to protect her. She half-heartedly agreed with him, still arguing with him so he wouldn't get a bigger ego than he already had.

Heading out of the underground hideout, Amu was wearing the same purple cape she arrived in, dusted with dried mud at the hem from earlier events. Ikuto wore a navy blue cape, surprisingly matching the shade of his hair. The cape was probably to cover the weapons that were strapped on him.

Ducking under a branch, Amu walked to a small clearing in the distance, where she could see the flags, on top of the tents, blowing gallantly in the breeze. Ikuto was three steps behind her.

"So, you never bothered to tell me your little plan," he said.

Amu stepped over a log and looked at him, "I'm just going to ask a few people about my mother."

Walking over the same log, he stood beside her. "And what if something goes wrong?"

"I know my own kingdom. The people here are cheerful and helpful." She said, nearly reciting the exact words her tutors told her.

Ikuto made a 'tch' sound as he folded his arms. "Even after that prince came in with his men and attacked your home?"

"Well..." her voice trailed off.

"That's why I'm here, Hime-sama." Ikuto mused. "The prince's men must be surveying the town now."

"I'm pretty sure I can handle myself," Amu stated as she started to walk to the bazaar.

"Amateur thieves maybe. But skilled soldiers that have been trained for years? I beg to differ." He countered and easily kept up to her pace.

She let out a sigh of frustration. "I'm not a helpless princess."

"I never said you were."

"You're certainly implying the fact." She said with a roll of her eyes.

The two finally passed the invisible boundary that split the bazaar from the forest. Entering into an area with people chattering, bargaining and some hollering. It looked like the same marketplace she and her friends went to the first day she left the Distant Castle. But something in the atmosphere was lingering. She couldn't tell what.

Ikuto nudged her lightly with his elbow. "How do you expect to ask them about the Queen without raising suspicion?" He asked. He obviously sounded like there were enemies hiding within the sea of people.

Amu held back another exasperated sigh, and a facepalm. Something she didn't think through.

She sensed him hold back a chuckle, and failing to cover it with a cough. She lifted an eyebrow at him, but his smile still didn't go away.

Ikuto's eyes flickered to a nearby stand, selling jewelry. He took Amu's hand, much to her surprise and led her through the crowds.

"H-hey!" Amu protested before she could pull her hand away. When they reached the stand, she looked at all of the jewelry. She gave Ikuto a questioning look.

"Can I help you?" The vendor asked. An elderly man with thinning hair slowly stood from his chair and walked up to the two.

"Yes," Ikuto said. "I was wondering if you had anything that might interest the young lady." He glanced at Amu for half a second.

_But I already have so much— _her realization struck her like a blow to the head. Of course!

"Ahh," the man said. "Only the best for such a lovely lady." He smiled lightly. He gestured to an array of necklaces. Amu looked at the display. _Pretend to look… pretend to look. _She thought repeatedly.

"May I ask where you found such a lovely girl?" The man asked Ikuto.

She kept her blush down as she continued to look. So this was their cover. As a couple.

"Let's say fate walked in and pushed me in her direction," he chuckled. He was quite the liar. It was more like fate trapped her and Ikuto found her.

Amu pretended to reach out for a random necklace before she paused and asked softly, "Any news of the Distant Castle?"

The man blinked and looked at her. He looked around and leaned forward, talking in a hushed tone. "That prince claimed it as his own now."

The blood underneath her started to boil a little.

"And the Queen…?" She asked slowly.

"Everyone knows is that she's being held prisoner. But that's it…"

So, there was no progress with her mom. Her stomach churned at the thought of what her mother was going through. She curled her fingers into a fist and she took in a slow breath.

Ikuto glanced over his shoulder and stiffened a bit, but his face remained composed. "Did you find anything yet?" He asked Amu huskily.

She snapped out of her trance and blinked. "Oh…" she glanced up at Ikuto. His eyes shifted to a small group of men, cloaked in black and gold clothing. A golden crown acted as a crest and it was sewn on the right shoulder. Those men were definitely _not_ one of the Distant Castle soldiers.

She nearly gasped when one of them locked eyes with her. She could feel her sweat drop and feel her stomach churn. Her gaze averted back to the necklaces, even the vendor looked a bit worried.

Her golden eyes spotted a pair of necklaces. They looked rather nice, but there was no time to observe it now. She picked up two of them and handed them to the vendor. "These two…"

"Three hundred silver pieces," he said as he started to place them into small boxes. Ikuto lifted an eyebrow at her, and kept some attention on the soldiers as they marched past them.

With her arms underneath her cloak, she slipped off another bangle and handed one to the vendor. "Will this do?"

His eyes brightened. "Ah! Y-yes!" He took the bangle without protesting and handed the boxed necklaces to Amu.

"Thank you." Ikuto said as he casually slipped an arm around her waist to lead her away from the vendor… and the soldiers. Before, Amu would probably go into a fit and go all raged-princess-mode for touching her like so, but this was an exception.

His strong arm, however, seemed to fit perfectly around her waist.

When they passed all of the high-traffic areas, they stopped and headed into a small section between two tents. Crates were stacked together, bound with rope.

"Glad we got away when we did. I could've sworn those damn soldiers were getting suspicious." He sounded excited and a bit frustrated at the same time.

Her eyes glanced to the arm still slung around her waist. "Yeah…me too." She said slowly as she gently swatted his hand away from her waist. He didn't pull back instantly, his hand lingered for a while before withdrawing back completely.

"You also need to be careful whipping out your ridiculously expensive jewelry to trade. A gem on one of those would just be enough, not the entire gold bracelet!" He exclaimed in a hushed yell.

"Does it look like I would know about it? Besides, I've plenty…" her voice said softly.

"You might want to keep them for a while though, who knows when you'll really need it." He said calmly.

Amu's eyes darted to the small boxes in her hands, and before she could say anything, the same group of men stood where Amu and Ikuto came from. "Halt! We are here to question you. Don't struggle." One announced.

Amu stood, paralyzed with fear.

Ikuto remained composed, but the arm hidden underneath the cloak reached for a sword strapped at his side. "May I ask why?"

"The vendor… he showed us something interesting."

"That bastard…" Ikuto cursed under his breath. "Must've been working with them."

"Or maybe he was forced to talk." Amu said though tight lips.

He unsheathed his sword. "I'm afraid we won't be going with you gentlemen." He pointed the gleaming metal at the small group.

The men all unsheathed their weapons. "Get the girl… kill the other." The leader said. They responded with a unison nod and inched closer to the two.

Ikuto stood in front of Amu defensively, a smirk curled his lips. "Why ruin such a perfect day?" His eyes darted to the crates and the sword slashed at the rope. The boxes tumbled down in front of the soldiers.

"Time to make a hasty retreat!" Ikuto announced as he quickly sheathed his sword, grabbed Amu's arm and ducked underneath a tent.

It was all too fast for Amu. They were now inside a large tent, behind men and women serving food to other people. Ikuto skillfully weaved through the people, some cursing at the two and some stumbling back, causing a huge mess. One lady fell on the table, sending food flying in the air. People chattered and screamed as the two darted through the food tent.

"I-Ikuto!" Amu protested.

"Now's not the time to talk!" Ikuto said as he glanced over his shoulder. Amu did the same and found the soldiers stumbling through the mess they created. They emerged from the tent and found themselves in the main square. Too many people.

Ikuto swore under his breath. "C'mon." He said as he quickly led her through the crowds, shoving people without letting a single word of excusing himself escape his lips.

She wished now that she wasn't wearing flats. They started to hurt. But with soldier tailing them, she needed to keep running.

Ikuto grabbed the edge of a display table and pulled it behind them, sending the objects flying, a vendor into rage, and soldiers stumbling and struggling to get past the block.

She never felt this excited all at once. Her heart was racing. It was rather fun, minus being chased down by the prince's men. She remembered to hold onto the boxes, somehow they felt important to her.

"Almost there," Ikuto said. He didn't sound like he was out of breath at all.

Amu forced herself to push a bit more. She didn't want to give up yet.

The two finally darted back into the forest, fast enough for people not to notice. Both of them ran deep through the trees and shrubs, Ikuto turning sharply, making Amu squeak in surprise. Ikuto whipped behind a tree and held Amu close, putting a hand over her mouth. Amu's breath was heavy, and her cheeks were starting to get warm.

"Shhh," was all Ikuto said as the soldiers ran through the forest, past their location.

"Dammit, where did they go?" One cursed.

"We need to report this to His Highness," the other replied as the sound of metal being sheathed sounded. The others followed and they all left the forest, rather grumpy and tired.

After what seemed like ages, Ikuto released Amu. She took a few steps away from him and tried to catch her breath.

"Well, that was fun," he smirked as he ran a hand through his hair.

"And you're…acting…like this always…happens to you!" She took in breaths as she spoke.

He lifted an eyebrow at her. "Well of course, Hime-sama! The Rebels and I always get into things like this. You're just lucky it wasn't bloody."

"I can handle blood…" she said as her breath returned to her.

"Oh _really_?" He chuckled.

Amu rolled her eyes and looked at the two small boxes. Curious to see what she blindly purchased, she lifted the lids and tossed them aside. Her eyes widened as they faced two necklaces, one a golden lock with a diamond clover, made out of hearts, and a key, made with the same design. It was just like the royal family's crest! It was seen everywhere in the Distant Castle. She held her breath and just stared at the two lovely gems.

Ikuto suddenly was standing next to her, looking at her finds. "Did you get these two because of your family crest…?"

She shook her head. "In all honesty, I didn't even give them a glance."

"Well what are you going to do with them?"

"I'm certainly _not_ going to throw it away…" she paused. She lifted the key by the chain and handed it to Ikuto. "Here, a token of my appreciation."

"I feel honored, Hime-sama," he chuckled as he took the necklace.

"It's not what you think! It's for… giving me the most exciting day ever." Amu protested.

"_Sure_. Either way, you'll just eventually fall for me," he winked.

"Don't get so cocky, young man." She scoffed as she hooked the chain around her neck. The cool lock made her shiver a bit.

He scoffed and looked the chain around his neck, folding his arms afterwards. "Let's just get back to the hideout before your friends start fussing."

…

"Amu-chan! We were so worried!" Ran exclaimed.

"Tell us the next time you leave!" Miki added.

Su exclaimed, "I'm so glad you weren't hurt desu!"

"You guys! You're suffocating her!" Dia scolded.

The orange-head was right. The three girls surrounded Amu, like cornering a small animal. The three girls blinked and took a few steps back, muttering apologies.

Amu sighed in relief, "It's fine, it's fine…"

They were in the living space of the hideout, Amu sitting in a chair while her four friends were standing all around her. Kukai and Ikuto were there too, leaning against the wall, while the others were out patrolling and training.

"I can't believe you went out in broad daylight too!" Kukai exclaimed.

"I had to let her go out at least once," Ikuto replied calmly. "Besides, it was pretty fun!"

"Man, I just hope those dumb guards won't recognize your face, Ikuto."

"Oh! What about Amu-chan?" Miki asked.

It was true. They did see both of their faces, and pink hair was rather rare to see. "Then I'll wear a hood from now on then!" Amu protested as she folded her arms.

"Amu-chan! That was dangerous! You need to be more careful!" Dia added in a worried tone.

_Sounding like mother right now… _

"Ladies, she was with me. There's no problem! I got your little princess back home, safe and sound," Ikuto mused as a playful smile curled his lips.

"Ohhh," Su grumbled and folded her arms. "She could've gotten hurt desu! And she's your princess too desu!"

"Su's right!" Ran piped up. "Amu-chan's the last heir to the throne!"

"Since when are you four like Mother?" Amu asked as she lifted an eyebrow.

The four were silent for a moment. Dia responded, "Amu-chan, we're your friends. We don't want you hurt!"

"Oh! In speaking of the Queen…" Miki said slowly.

Ikuto looked up at Amu, who looked down at the ground and then back up at the four girls, glancing at the guys once in a while. "One of the vendors said that she was just being held prisoner. Nothing else."

"Amu-chan…" Ran said softly.

"No, it's fine. As long as she's alive…" her voice trailed off.

It was as if the guys knew that the conversation was going to get awkward, really fast. So Kukai said, "So, Ikuto is planning to raid one of the forts holding the prince's soldiers."

Ikuto smirked. "Yeah, tonight. It's gonna be one hell of a adventure."

Amu looked at the two. "Oh really?"

"Why did you have to bring that up desu?" Su whimpered.

"You're not going Amu-chan! Please tell me you're not going!" The four pleaded in unison.

Amu laughed lightly. "Maybe…" she looked at Ikuto, as if looking for approval.

"I don't mind. It would be more fun with Hime-sama anyways," he chuckled.

* * *

Jen: And I will leave it there!

Ikuto: gahhh

Amu: just try not to take so long okay?

Jen: I'll try not to… summer break is like a month away so we'll see~ I am truly sorry for the wait! I can't say when my next update will be though!

Ikuto: ugh! Come ON Jen!

Jen: hey! I'm looking forward to typing the next chapter to calm yourself! Thanks for reading this chapter!


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